Here’s something you might want to dabble in this weekend.
Jim – KG2H
New England QSO Party on May 6th and 7th
The NEQP is a great time to check out antenna systems and offers a moderately paced opportunity to work new counties throughout New England. You’ll find a wide variety of participants, from newcomers to experienced contesters, all interested in making contacts with New England stations.
Oh yes, the NEQP is also lots of fun when mobile. Every time you cross a county line the action starts over again. It’s amazing what a 100w radio and mobile whip can do. The QSO Party is 20 hours long overall, in two sections with a civilized break for sleep Saturday night. It goes from 4 p.m. Saturday until 1 a.m. Sunday, then 9 am Sunday until 8 p.m. Sunday.
Operate on CW, SSB and digital modes on 80-40-20-15-10 meters. For each QSO you’ll give your callsign, a signal report and your county/state. Top scorers can earn a plaque and everyone who makes 25 QSOs and sends in a log will get a certificate.
Last year we had logs from 179 New England stations and 300 more from around the country and the world. The full rules are available. The 2016 results were posted over the weekend and the results since 2002 are also available.
It’s all about NY on October 15 as radio amateurs from around the world get on the air to work all 62 NY counties, Chautauqua to Clinton, Niagara to Suffolk. A dozen or more mobile operators will take to the mean streets of NYC or the bucolic surrounds of the Southern Tier and North Country. Brave souls will sneak out to the woodlands to activate a rare county, Field Day style, as temps may dip into the 30’s. And good, solid Elmers will open up their shacks to new hams and build excitement as the spotlight is on US!
The NYQP game is easy to play as all operating modes and bands are eligible. The QSO exchange is simple for NY operators: signal report and county. For those eager out-of-state ops wanting to work all 62 counties, they’ll send a signal report and their state, province or DX.
There’s a category for all operating styles from single-operator-QRP to multi-operator-high-power-mobile! And the 48 plaques, which are awarded to category winners, are simply beautiful and I think they’re the best in the business. Serious “furniture” for the discerning ham’s shack! The state-wide NYQP Plaque Sponsorship Team and the Rochester DX Association really step up to the plate each year to make all the effort worthwhile.
Please start thinking about your NYQP operations. Mobile or Fixed, SSB, CW or digital, the important thing is to get on the air with friends and make some “noise” and help promote amateur radio spirit in NY. Please consider using this event to introduce new hams into the mix. Elmering has always been an important aspect of our hobby and NYQP is a perfect vehicle from which to teach operating concepts and station engineering. Make a new antenna, try a new digital mode, operate a vintage rig, have fun!
There is a page at the NYQP website (www.nyqp.org) that we’ve created to announce activity across the state. It’s called “2016 Planned Activations” and it’s easy to list your plans online to alert others of your activity in that rare or not-so-rare QTH. It helps all of us make informed choices on how to operate to maximize fun. The event’s rules are also listed at the site.
In 2015, we had a record 314 logs, 156 from NY, 135 stateside, 14 from Canada, and 9 from DX. 5,670(!) unique call signs participated in the event, with 43,065(!) reported QSOs. Contacts were made in all 62 counties from 49 (missed AK) states, 9 (AB, BC, MB, NB, NT, ON, PEI, QC, SK) provinces, and dozens of DX countries. There were 57 amateur radio clubs (25 New York and 32 out of state) involved the event. Let’s set some new records in 2016!
Need any assistance or have any questions? Wondering which are the rare counties? Have a question about logging software? The NYQP Team is at the ready…send me a note any time at NW2K@arrl.net or check out the great NYQP website (www.nyqp.org) for all the details. We’ll help you get on the air on October 15!
It’s been many years since we refreshed our club’s logo. We are sponsoring a contest to create a new logo. You all see the logo on every newsletter, here it is:
There are a couple of things that strike you right off the bat.
The name Saratoga County RACES Association. Yes, that is our club’s corporate name, but we have been DBA (doing business as) SCARA, short for Saratoga County Amateur Radio Association.
The Microphone and Straight Key, as definitely not the only ways that hams communicate now.
The objective of the club as stated in our by-laws are as follows:
To support the objectives of the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) in Saratoga County, New York.
To provide communications services to Municipal, Civic, and other organizations in the public interest.
To sponsor educational and other services and activities for the promotion of interest in Amateur Radio in the community.
What we would like would be a new logo, simple and clean. The logo should be easily scalable so its size can be easily adjusted electronically.
We request an original, editable file in addition to an SVG, PNG or JPG at 1024px resolution. Ideally, the original would be in an editable PDF or AI file with an editable, 100% vector format with transparent background in CMYK color. PNG sample would be in RGB color. Standards as recommended by 99 Designs.
All entries become the property of the club with full copyright ownership by the club. Entries should be submitted by October 31, 2016, to KG2H@ARRL.NET. Entries cannot infringe on other existing copyrights.
The Board of Directors will make the final decision on the winning design.
The winning design will be rewarded with either a 2-year membership extension to the club for existing members or a new 2-year membership for non-club members.
Here’s something you might want to dabble in this weekend.